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Cancer battle won’t hold back Cumbrian dad and daughter

A teenager is refusing to give up on a dream holiday with her dad after he was struck down with cancer.

Nadia Ramdin and dad Idris

“Daddy’s girl” Nadia Ramdin, of Greystone Road, Carlisle, had been looking forward to the three-week trip of a lifetime to the US later this month with her father Idris.

But the 17-year-old’s plans have had to be shelved after Idris was diagnosed with myeloma – cancer of the bone marrow.

Idris, 51, was given the news after he went into hospital for treatment for a back injury.

He spent a month in hospital but has now moved back home and is preparing to undergo chemotherapy before surgery to remove a stem cell.

Nadia, who is studying for her GCSEs at Caldew School, says she’s always been very close to her dad and was heartbroken when she heard about his illness.

She said: “It all happened so quickly – he had a back injury and a few months later he went for blood tests and was diagnosed with cancer.

“We’re so close so it’s been really hard, especially with my exams coming up, and me and dad had been planning for the last two years to go to America but we have had to cancel it for now.”

But Nadia is determined to stay positive for her dad and hoping they will be able to travel to the United States in future.

She is also organising a sponsored walk in a bid to raise at least £1,000 for Cancer Research UK.

Nadia’s mum Sue Ramdin told how proud she was of her daughter’s tenacity.

She said: “We were all absolutely devastated when Idris was given the news.

“It was a total shock because he has worked for the same company for about 32 years and had only ever taken a week off sick in that time. It’s hit Nadia really hard too because she’s such a daddy’s girl. She couldn’t revise for her exams for about three weeks but she’s back on track now and the school have been absolutely brilliant.

“Idris is really upset that he can’t take her to America but Nadia is staying positive and hopes they can go one day. She wanted to do something more than just looking after him so the walk is about helping find a cure – I’m immensely proud of her.”

Idris added: “I’m really chuffed because Nadia is doing this off her own back.

“I was only diagnosed four weeks ago so it’s still really tough to talk about because it’s still so raw but I’m so proud of her.”

The 10-mile sponsored walk will take place around Cotehill and Cumwhinton on June 15 from 12pm – to donate visit Nadia’s Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/Nadia-Ramdin